"AHHHH!!" Jaire screamed as he scrambled awake. His heart raced in a panic as his addled mind was stuck inbetween reality and the nightmare.

*THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP*

Footsteps quickly approached from the hallway, and although he was still in a frightened state, a clear thought did manage to weasle to the front. Ah crap.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" His mom bellowed as she slammed his wooden door open with a hard crack. She desperately scanned the room with a predatory glare, battlehammer held firmly within her hands, but she found nothing to strike at.

"Uh, hi mom." Jaire managed to squeak out with a weak smile while trying his best to hide his trembling body. Thankfully she didn't seem to notice, perhaps since his lantern was on his desk next to the entrance, and thus he was cast in shadows. From its glow he saw how her face changed from frenzied rage, to confusion, and finally to a mix of relief and mild irritation.

She sighed and spoke, "Was it...the dream again?"

A pang of shame stung within him. "Mm. Y-yeah." he clumsily replied as he diverted his eyes.

"Ah." An awkward silence passed before she spoke again, "Well, mm, try to get some sleep. I'm going to check on the twins. Goodnight."

"Y-yeah. Goodnight mom."

As soon as his door was closed again, Jaire groaned.

God damn it. He thought while squeezing his hair. That was embarrasing. It's been a while since I've yelled like that...

The nightmare had started about four or so years ago. The details changed over time, but the sensation and fear was always the same. After some time, he had succesfully trained himself to stop before yelling out in panic, and to scream into his pillow or bite his lips instead, though this time he failed to do so. It's just a stupid dream.

A wave of panic swept through him, as his rational mind clearly understood that, despite the imaginary details, the message was very real. Stop it. That's enough damn it.

He grit his teeth as shame and anger burned within him. It was not only embarassing, but downright humiliating for him to have a recurring nightmare like that. He, along with hundreds of others, had trained to fight and die for the survival of his people. It was the greatest honor there was. And yet...

He sighed and flopped back down upon his bed. Reaching over, he pulled aside the heavy fur curtain that kept the wind out. It was still dark out.

“Same time as usual…” He sighed again. Honestly, part of me just wants it to be over with. Then I wouldn't have to worry about-

He jerked up. Quickly as he could, he got out of bed and walked over to his desk and checked the calendar. Today's the day.

Finally, after ten long years at the Academy, it was his time to partake in the Ceremony of Ages. Excitement overcame him, but it was quickly replaced with dread. This was the first step towards his adult life, but there was just one small issue.

Despite having ten years to decide, he had no idea what he wanted.

“Ughhhhhh," he groaned, "why is nothing ever easy?”

Against his parents wishes, Jaire had enrolled in the Academy with the sole purpose of joining a Path. The Paths were essentially the various military positions of the settlement, the heroes that kept the people alive and well. They protected the people from the dangers of the outside world, hunting and slaying all manners of monsters that Jaire had only read about. He, like many others, had dreamed of being one of those people, of serving the greater cause with undying loyalty.

That is, until the nightmares began.

Huffing, Jaire shook the thought away from his head. That was not something he wanted to worry about at the moment.

"I just need some fresh air. And some training." Taking a deep breath, he walked over to his closet and donned appropriate clothing. Grabbing his lantern from the table, he snuck out of his home and into the backyard. At this time the dial was almost useless as the sun had yet to emerge, but it did signify that at very least it was sometime before 7am.

Let's see, the Ceremony is at noon, so I have about 8 or so hours until it begins. Plenty of time. The chilly night struck his face but the heavy furs kept his body warm, so he marched towards his family's garden at the opposite end.

Once there, he sat upon a wooden stool and faced a beautiful red flower. Flowers were a rarity in the settlement, as they weren't necessary for survival, but not only had this one been a gift, his father was not one to throw anything away.

Everything has a purpose he'd say. Anyways, just how she taught me. Placing the lantern upon the ground, Jaire closed his eyes, took in a few deep breaths, and struck his palms out. Several minutes passed in silence as he concentrated. He pictured the flower growing, reaching sizes that it should not be allowed to do. In his mind it towered overhead while sprouting more buds that blossomed in a rich and vibrant color.

After another several minutes, he peeked out. The flower was just as he had seen it. No height, no buds, nothing.

Frowning, Jaire closed his eyes and tried agian. Okay okay, let's take it slow. No need to make it grow or whatever. Just turn the flower towards me. Nice and slow. That's it. I am one with the world, I am one with the world...

Half an hour later, he finally peeked out again.

Nothing.

With an exasperated sigh he stood up and grabbed his lantern. “This is pointless!” he huffed as he marched back inside.

Back to his room, Jaire dropped to his bed and stared at the ceiling. After five years of attempts, he was no closer to unlocking the mystery behind the phonomenal gift.

Five years ago, his life had changed the course of his life when a girl named Lin Zihang migrated to his settlement from another far, far away. All it took was one fateful night of bumping into her for his world to be turned upside down.

Well more like unintentional stalking but who's keeping track. He thought with a cough.

On that particular day, the settlement was under lockdown as a major raid occurred. Rather than proceed to the nearest bunker or the Academy, Jaire witnessed Lin sneak towards the fields, and he had immediately followed after her. Her behavior was in (minor) violation of the law, so he wanted to get evidence of her wrongdoing. It was for the good of the settlement after all, and not out of jealousy over how quickly she became known as a prodigy in the Academy or because she acted like she was better than him by ignoring his greetings or attempts to talk. Defintely not.

What he stumbled upon that day was something that took his mind a few months to wrap around.

Magic. Honest to god magic.

The feats he watched her perform shattered the viewpoint he had upon life. Suddenly things weren't so black and white, and a desire to learn grew within him. There was more to life than he had ever learned at the Academy, who only taught him how to fight and kill, and he wanted to know it all. Plus magic would definitely help with the fighting and killing.

Therefore he confronted her about what he saw. It took a few months of nagging and death threats (on her side), but finally she caved and agreed to teach him, on the condition that not only was he sworn to secrecy, but he had to sign a contract that basically made him her test subject. As it turns out, she was a pioneer in this as well, having learned from no one but herself, but needed someone to test her abilities on.

Of course he agreed, though not before roping in his two best friends, claiming they woud not only be as loyal as he was, but the more test subjects the better. She reluctantly agreed.

Hm, come to think of it, she never once threatened them or forced them to sign a contract...

*BOOOOMMMMFFFFFF*

Horns blared in the distance.

Hm? An attack at this hour? Geez, give it a break.

Jaire lived on the planet Tartarus, the first colonized planet for humans. It was a dangerous world, dominated by gigantic plant life and ruled by the monstrous animals, known officially as Zvyrs. They were hyperaggresive beasts that roamed the lands, attacking both humans and each other with reckless abandon. They attacked the settlement constantly, sometimes more than once daily, though the soldiers of the Paths held them off with brilliance. The five Paths were:

Hunters. The vicious attack force that was sent outside the walls to deal with any Zvyr colony that was, or would be, a threat to the settlement.

Bulwarks. Tough and durable, they defended the walls from any horde of Zvyr that either made it past the Hunter's culling, or sprung up in surprise attacks.

Seekers. Scouts that roamed the lands farther than the zone of control established by Hunters, delivering intel on Zvyr movement and potential dangers. Additionally, they would scout for ancient ruins and ensure trade routes were clear of threats.

Delvers. A new Path formed after crumbling ruins of an ancient civilization were found upon Tartarus. It was believed they held the key to unlocking the mystery of the Rift, a portal that opened on Earth 500 years ago and first connected humankind to Tartarus. The Delvers were specialists who were trained specifically for the purpose of finding any and all relics within.

Sentinels. They were the guards that protected the trade caravans from Zvyrs during their long expeditions between settlements, ensuring the goods were delivered on time, and the traders in one piece.

The Academy was essentially a training ground. There, students would learn the skills required by each individual Path over the course of ten years. The Academy tailored their training regime to fit the attributes/desires of each individual student, effectively maximizing their potential. At the end of the ten years, the students would exhibit their culminated abilities at the Ceremony of Ages, in hopes that one the five Paths would accept them into their ranks.

Years of Academy training, wasted! Jaire groaned. Despite the nightmares, he was still more than enthused about the prospect of joining a Path, but in his final years, a newborn anxiety grew within him.

Three Paths had resonated well within him: Hunter, Bulwark, and Seeker ones, but he could never decide which Path he wanted the most. Choice was a major component of the Academy, as forcing a child to learn something they weren't interested in only produced mediocre results, but sadly that freedom had backfired on him. Jaire had spent a good portion of his time jumping from one training regime to another, unable to stay with just one. Although some of the skills learned were transferable, most were specific to a Path, such as pain resistance for Bulwarks or climbing for Seekers. So now Jaire found himself in a tight situation.

Sighing, he gathered himself up and walked towards his desk. Pages upon pages were scattered about. They were riddled with bullet points, tables, and pictures depicting the pros and cons of each Path, but still not a single page held the answer he sought. For weeks he looked them over, hoping that somehow the answer would magically appear.

I’m going to be the first in the history of my family to be a failure...Ugh, I should have picked a Path a year ago and stuck with it. Two years ago!

*Grumble*

I should have listened to my parents and never joined the Academy in the first place. Gone off to work in the production district and be safe and sound. Maybe then I wouldn't have those nightmares...

*Grummmmble*

He glared annoyingly at his stomach as he tried to continue brooding. Stop it, it's far too early to eat. Not like we'll have anything either way.

*Grumble grumble*

Fine! You win! Once more he snuck out of his room and went for the kitchen. Having two younger siblings with ravenous appetites, he would be lucky to chew on the bones of yesterday’s dinner, yet his stomach held onto hope. Sure enough, he found the cabinets were all empty.

*grumble*

Ughh...Lin probably grows her own breakfast...hell I probably could if I could get the hang of it.

Annoyance flared up within hi and he marched back outside.

If she can do it, so can I!! He huffed as he closed his eyes once more. Relax. Just Relax. Breath in, and out. I am one with the world. Relax, just-

Surrender.

"Wah!!" he cried out and stumbled backwards off the stool. His heart raced as he spun around. The backyard was as it had been.

W-was it the dream again? Had I dozed off? The first morning rays of the sun had started to shine through the far away mountainside, giving the dial its much needed light.

9:30am. He recalled how the first time he came out it was some time before 7am. Wait, that's not right. Where...well, I didn't check when I came out here again, so maybe I just spent a long time inside. Yeah...

*Crash*

Something broke within his home, followed by the sound of a child crying.

Looks like the family's awake. I wonder if they went shopping already. Brushing himself off, Jaire entered his home to the voices of his loving family.

“Avers!! How many times have I told you to not play on the counter!! Miya?? Where are your shoes!?” His father pleaded as both of Jaire’s siblings cried out. The potted plant that previously dominated the counter now lay shattered on the floor.

“Avers took them!!” “NO I DIDN-YESYOUDI-DIDNOT-IDTOO-STOPLY-YOURTHELIA-”

“ENOUGH!" His mother bellowed, silencing the twins instantly. "Sweep this up right now!"

"But she-" "RIGHT NOW!"

"Ha ha you have to-" "And I swear if I turn around and see you without your shoes!!”

Both children zoomed out of the kitchen as Jaire entered. His mom was holding the fallen plant over the trash bin while his dad looked through cabinets.

"Morning ma, pa."

“There you are!" His dad called out without turning, "Can you run to the market to get food for breakfast?”

"Tebuly Jay." His mom greeted. Aside from the plant in her hand, she looked as normal as she always did, either unfazed or uncaring, of the earlier incident. Well, at least no awkward conversation this time around.

"While you're out can you stop by and ask Lin for another vase?" she asked while frowning at the cooking pot his dad had pulled out. "It's almost impossible to find one in the markets."

"Yeah sure, anything else?”

“Whatever you want, its your big day today after all!" His dad smiled at him while he presented a wash basin to his wife, who grimaced in return.

"Alright, I'll be back soon, see ya."